期刊
ANTARCTIC SCIENCE
卷 32, 期 5, 页码 329-340出版社
CAMBRIDGE UNIV PRESS
DOI: 10.1017/S0954102020000231
关键词
environmental stewardship; forward contamination; hot-water drilling; Whillans Subglacial Lake
资金
- National Science Foundation grants from the Division of Polar Programs [0838933, 1346250, 1439774, 0838941]
- NSF-IGERT Program [0654336]
- NSF-Center for Dark Energy Biosphere Investigations
- American Association of University Women
- Directorate For Geosciences
- Division Of Polar Programs [1346250] Funding Source: National Science Foundation
- Directorate For Geosciences
- Office of Polar Programs (OPP) [1439774] Funding Source: National Science Foundation
- Division Of Graduate Education
- Direct For Education and Human Resources [0654336] Funding Source: National Science Foundation
- Division Of Polar Programs
- Directorate For Geosciences [838933, 0838941] Funding Source: National Science Foundation
Subglacial Antarctic aquatic environments are important targets for scientific exploration due to the unique ecosystems they support and their sediments containing palaeoenvironmental records. Directly accessing these environments while preventing forward contamination and demonstrating that it has not been introduced is logistically challenging. The Whillans Ice Stream Subglacial Access Research Drilling (WISSARD) project designed, tested and implemented a microbiologically and chemically clean method of hot-water drilling that was subsequently used to access subglacial aquatic environments. We report microbiological and biogeochemical data collected from the drilling system and underlying water columns during sub-ice explorations beneath the McMurdo and Ross ice shelves and Whillans Ice Stream. Our method reduced microbial concentrations in the drill water to values three orders of magnitude lower than those observed in Whillans Subglacial Lake. Furthermore, the water chemistry and composition of microorganisms in the drill water were distinct from those in the subglacial water cavities. The submicron filtration and ultraviolet irradiation of the water provided drilling conditions that satisfied environmental recommendations made for such activities by national and international committees. Our approach to minimizing forward chemical and microbiological contamination serves as a prototype for future efforts to access subglacial aquatic environments beneath glaciers and ice sheets.
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